Sasha CampbellHave you been seeing more and more gophers around your property lately? If so, you probably don’t know what to do.
Gophers can cause damage to your yard and garden with their digging activities [1]. While many people choose to take care of them by calling a gopher removal professional, there are a few home remedies to get rid of these pests that can be just as effective.
How to Get Rid of Gophers Naturally
Pocket gophers can be pesky little creatures to control, but there are many ways to do so without killing them. Below are some natural remedies that work well:
1. Castor Oil
Castor oil is effective because it’s a natural repellent you can use to keep these critters out of your garden and backyard.
There are a few ways to use it. One is to mix ¼ cup with one tablespoon of dish soap in a gallon of water and pour it into their hole.
Another is to put the mixture in a spray bottle and apply it around the problem areas.
Finally, you can add some Tabasco sauce, but this time, the recipe will be ½ cup of castor oil, one cup of water, a tsp. of Tabasco sauce, and a few drops of peppermint oil.
Mix it all up, and then soak some cotton balls in it. Afterward, place the soaked cotton balls in gopher holes.
This DIY remedy also works excellently at deterring ground moles.
2. Repellent Plants
There are also several plants that you can use as a repellent to keep gophers away. Gophers find the scent of these plants offensive.
Repellent plants include lavender, pine, eucalyptus, marigolds, and rosemary bushes. You can plant them around your yard.
3. Flood Gopher Holes
Flooding gopher holes is also effective in getting them to leave your property. This method works by flooding the tunnels with water, which causes the animals to abandon the tunnels.
To do this, find the gopher hole and then use a garden hose with high pressure or buckets of water to pour into it.
Once you have filled the tunnel with enough water, leave the area immediately to allow the gopher to escape.
4. Underground Fencing
Installing underground fencing is a DIY method to protect your raised beds from burrowing animals.
The fence should be installed 2 feet or more below ground level and buried in the garden bed. Also, the fencing material should be heavy-duty, so you may want to go with hardware cloth.
5. Gopher Baskets
Gopher baskets are wire cages placed around the plants or crops you want to protect. These wire cages are designed to keep gophers and other rodents away.
6. Ultrasonic Repellents
This pest control method uses sound waves to annoy and deter rodents like gophers, chipmunks, and squirrels.
To work effectively, you’ll need to set up the device in a spot where these pest problems are the worst.
7. Traps
Another humane method to control gopher populations is to trap them. Trapping gophers is a non-toxic way to get them out of your yard.
The spring and fall are the best times to set the trap. Common live traps include the CINCH and the Tomahawk. Follow the instructions with your order to bait and set these traps up effectively.
8. Garlic Stakes
Place some garlic stakes into the gopher holes, and you’re done!
The idea is that when the gophers dig around and come across the garlic, it will let them leave the area. The smell of garlic can be unpleasant, so they’ll think twice about entering your property again!
Plus, this method does not require toxic chemicals, gasoline, or traps that could harm other animals or creatures in your area.
9. Peppermint Oil
Applying peppermint oil around gophers’ entry locations can also effectively repel them. You can apply the solution with rags, sponges, and even a few cotton balls.
Another way you can use peppermint oil is by mixing it with water to make a homemade gopher-repellent spray that you’ll apply in and around your garden. This solution will create an unpleasant environment that these burrowing rodents don’t like.
Its scent may even help deter other pests from visiting your garden, too—so it’s definitely worth considering.
10. Dogs and Cats
Believe it or not, dogs and cats can help deter gophers. While not all cats and dogs will go after gophers, their presence alone may scare the gophers away.
If you have a barking dog or an outdoor-friendly cat, consider leaving them in the garden for a few hours. You could also scatter some cat or dog poop around areas where gophers are likely to show up.
11. Barn Owls
There’s one old-fashioned way that you may not have considered: barn owls.
Barn owls are predators of rodents, and they love to eat gophers [2]. You can attract these owls by putting up a nesting box for them.
12. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are also an excellent DIY control remedy to help reduce the presence of gophers in your surroundings.
All you need to do is bury some coffee grounds around your garden area and in the holes gophers have been digging. The grounds will work as a repellent for these critters.
13. Mothballs
Some people advocate using mothballs because they contain a chemical that these rodents find unpleasant.
Just place the mothballs inside gopher tunnels, wrapped in a cloth. The gophers will frantically abandon their tunnels once they smell the mothballs.
14. Victor Mole & Gopher Repellent
This product works because of its main ingredient, castor oil.
These pests hate castor oil! As a result, this poison-free repellent will cause the critters to leave.
15. Holy Moley
This repellent product will keep burrowing animals like gophers away from your yard. Holy Moley is made with castor oil and Fuller’s earth.
Gophers cannot tolerate the taste and scent of this product. They may also experience stomach discomfort if they ingest it.
Moreover, Holy Moley does not contain poison or pesticides and is completely safe for pets and humans.
Takeaway
So, there you have it—a few natural remedies to get rid of gophers. All of these have been known to be effective, but it’s important to remember that not every method will work for every person or every situation.
If you’re having trouble using these methods, don’t be afraid to call in a professional.
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